Pratica di Shadowing: Jack Ma's Life Story || Learn English Through Story Level 2🔥 || Graded Reader || Listening Practice✅ - Impara a parlare inglese con i video
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Welcome to our channel, English Avenue.
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In today's video, we'll be practicing English through the inspiring story of Jack Ma.
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Tune in to improve your listening skills while learning about his incredible journey from rejection to success.
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Listen to me.
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Just give me your attention for a few minutes.
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This story is not just about a billionaire.
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It's not just about a man who built a company worth billions.
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This story is about you.
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Because Jack Ma's story is not about success.
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It's about pain, rejections, humiliation, failure, again and again and again.
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It's about a boy who was laughed at.
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A boy who was rejected by Harvard not once, not twice, but ten times.
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Everyone said he was not good enough.
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But you know what he said? he said, I will try again tomorrow.
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He was not rich.
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He was not a genius.
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He was not strong.
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He didn't even know how to code.
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But still, he became one of the richest and most respected men in the world.
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How?
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Because he had something that money can't buy.
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Believe in self.
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He had unbreakable hope.
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And he had a dream that was bigger than his fear.
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So today, I am not telling you a story about Jack Ma.
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I am showing you that you can rise too.
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No matter where you are in life, no matter how many times you've failed, there is a Jack Ma inside you too.
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Now sit back, Open your heart and feel every line of this story.
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Because from here, we go deep.
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His name was Ma Yun.
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Yes, Jack Ma is not his real name.
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His real name is Ma Yun, born on the 10th of September 1964 in Hangzhou, China.
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He was a small boy, thin and weak, with no special talents.
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His family was not rich.
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They didn't have a car or TV.
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They lived in a small house in a narrow street.
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But you know what made him different?
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He was curious.
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He asked questions.
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He wanted to know more about the world.
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He grew up at a time when China was still closed off from the rest of the world.
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No internet.
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No foreign education.
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No big dreams.
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But Jack wanted to see the world.
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He wanted to understand English.
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He wanted to connect with people from other countries.
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So what did he do?
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At the age of 12, he started riding his bicycle every morning to a hotel.
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The Hangzhou Hotel.
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Why?
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Because that's where foreign tourists came.
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Every day, he woke up at 5 a .m., took his old bicycle, and went to that hotel.
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He spoke to foreigners.
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He helped them around the city.
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He didn't want money.
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He just wanted to learn English.
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For nine years, he did this.
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Every single morning. For free.
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Do you see the power in that?
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Most people want quick success.
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But Jack was planting seeds for the future.
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Jack was never a great student.
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In fact, he failed his exams many times.
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In middle school, failed twice.
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In high school, failed three times.
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Even in college entrance exams, he failed two times.
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Can you imagine the pressure?
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In China, these exams decide your future.
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If you fail, people think you are useless.
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But Jack didn't care.
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He He just said, I'll try again.
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Finally, on his third attempt, he passed and got into Hangzhou Teachers Institute.
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He studied English and graduated with a bachelor's degree in English.
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After graduation, Jack applied to 30 jobs.
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Every single one said no. He applied to become a police officer.
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They said, you are not fit.
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He applied to KFC.
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There were 24 people who applied.
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23 were hired.
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Only Jack was rejected.
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Even a simple hotel job rejected him.
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He was told, You are not good -looking enough.
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You talk too much.
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You don't have the right skills.
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Now think.
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How many people would just give up?
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How many people would say, Maybe I'm just not made for success?
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But Jack said something different.
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He said, I will find my own way.
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One day, while helping a tourist in Hangzhou, Jack became friends with an American family.
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They liked him so much, they gave him the nickname Jack because Ma Yun was hard to pronounce.
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From that day, Ma Yun became Jack Ma.
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This family also gave him hope.
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They told him about the world outside, about how life could be different.
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They even invited him to visit the USA.
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Jack started dreaming bigger.
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He applied to Harvard University ten times.
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Ten times he got rejected.
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Most people would feel broken.
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But Jack laughed and said, even if Harvard doesn't want me, the world still needs me.
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He started learning about the Internet.
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He was 31 years old when he saw the Internet for the first time.
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He typed the word beer in a search engine.
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He saw American beer, German beer, but no Chinese beer.
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He thought, how is it possible that my country with so many people has nothing on the Internet?
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Then he typed another word, China.
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Again, almost no results.
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That night, Jack Ma could not sleep.
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He sat near the window, staring at the stars.
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He kept asking himself, Why is China not on the Internet?
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Why don't we have anything online?
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Then slowly, a thought came to his mind.
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Maybe it's because no one has done it yet.
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Maybe that person could be me.
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He didn't know much about technology.
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He didn't know how websites worked.
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But he knew one thing.
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There was a problem.
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And every problem is an opportunity.
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When Jack returned to China, he had only one goal.
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To build a company that could help Chinese businesses go online.
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He borrowed $2 ,000 from his friends and started his first company called China Pages.
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It was a simple idea.
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Help small Chinese companies create websites and connect with the world.
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But there was a big problem.
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Back then, almost no one in China understood the Internet.
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People didn't trust it.
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They thought it was a joke.
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Jack and his team went door to door.
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They spoke to shopkeepers, manufacturers, small business owners.
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Most of them had never touched a computer.
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When Jack explained how the Internet could help their business grow, many people laughed.
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Some even said, are you crazy?
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Who will buy things on a screen?
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But Jack didn't stop.
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He believed in the future.
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He believed that one day people would shop online, talk online, live online.
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Still, China Pages didn't do well.
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It struggled because of too many rules, lack of support, and low trust from people.
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It was not a success.
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In fact, it was his first big failure in business.
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But here's what makes Jack different from others.
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He didn't cry.
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He didn't blame the world.
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He simply said, good.
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One thing failed.
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I learned from it.
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Now let's try again.
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It was 1999.
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Jack was now 35 years old.
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He had just returned from a government project where he worked for a few years, trying to help businesses go digital.
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But deep inside, his own dream was still alive.
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One day, he invited 17 of his friends to his small apartment in Hangzhou.
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They sat on the floor.
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There were no chairs, no table, no office.
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Just passion.
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Just belief.
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Just the burning dream.
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Jack stood up and said, I'm going to start a company.
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It will connect Chinese businesses to the world.
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I will call it Alibaba.
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His friends looked at him.
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Some smiled, some were confused.
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One friend asked, why Alibaba?
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Jack said, because everyone knows the story of Alibaba and the 40 thieves.
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The password was OpenSesame.
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My company will open the door to fortune for small businesses.
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It was a name people could remember.
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It sounded global, and it had magic inside it.
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That day, 18 people became the first team of Alibaba.
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Jack had no business model, no money from investors, no technology.
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But he had something more powerful.
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A team that believed in him and a belief that one day his small startup would change the world.
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In the beginning, Jack and his team worked from his apartment.
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They worked day and night, sleeping for only a few hours.
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There was no salary, no office, no comfort.
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But there was love.
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They believed they were building something historic.
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They created a platform where small businesses could list their products, and buyers from around the world could find them.
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At that time, Amazon and eBay were already growing in the West.
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But no one had done something big like this for Chinese businesses.
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Jack knew it was risky, but he also knew, if we don't do this now, someone else will.
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Still, money was a problem.
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He went to banks to ask for loans.
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But guess what?
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He was rejected by more than 10 banks.
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No clear plan.
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Too risky.
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No one will use it.
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That's what they said.
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But then came a big moment.
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A company from the USA called SoftBank and its founder Masayoshi's son met Jack.
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After talking with Jack for five minutes, he said, I will invest $20 million in your company.
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Jack was shocked.
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He asked, You don't want to see my business plan?
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Masayoshi -san said, I'm not investing in the plan.
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I'm investing in the person.
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That moment changed everything.
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Most bosses want to be the smartest person in the room, but Jack Ma was different.
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He once said, I hire people who are smarter than me.
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My job is not to be the best.
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My job is to bring out the best in others.
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He treated his team like a family.
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They celebrated small victories.
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They cried when things went wrong.
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They stayed together when they had no money.
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One time, when the company was close to shutting down, Jack called a meeting and said, Even if we have only one bowl of rice left,
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we will share it.
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That's who he was.
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A leader who made his team feel important.
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Not a boss, but a believer.
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In Jack's own words, getting money is not success.
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Now we have to prove that we deserve it.
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So what did Jack do?
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He didn't buy a big office.
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He didn't spend the money on luxury or advertising.
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Instead, he invested in people, technology, and building the right culture.
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Jack Ma believed one thing deeply.
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Culture is more important than strategy.
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He wanted his company to feel like a tribe, a family, a place where people worked with passion, not just for salary.
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Here's what Jack did differently.
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He gave everyone weird nicknames.
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Jack's nickname was Crazy Jack.
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Others were called Big Mouth, Tiger Face, Money Man, names that made people feel like they were part of something fun,
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unique, and united.
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Every employee, from coder to cleaner, was treated with respect.
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Jack once said, If you want people to work like owners, treat them like owners.
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They had morning dances in the office.
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Yes, dancing.
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Every morning the team would stretch, jump, and dance before starting work.
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Why?
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Because Jack believed that energy brings success.
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A happy team builds a happy company.
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On weekends, they would have karaoke nights in the office.
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Jack loved singing, even though he was not a good singer.
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But he said, When we sing together, we stay together.
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This was not a normal company.
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This was Alibaba, a family with a mission.
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By 2002, Alibaba was growing fast in China.
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Small businesses were signing up.
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Trade was increasing.
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People were beginning to understand the power of the Internet.
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But then came a storm.
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A big storm.
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eBay entered China.
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At that time, eBay was a giant, a powerful company from the West.
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They had money.
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They had technology.
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They had experience.
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And soon, eBay bought a Chinese company called EachNet and began to take over the Chinese market.
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Everyone thought Alibaba was finished.
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Even Jack's own team started to worry.
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They said, Jack, eBay is too big.
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We can't win.
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But Jack stood in front of his team and said something unforgettable.
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eBay is a shark in the ocean.
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But we are a crocodile in the Yangtze River.
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If we fight in the ocean, we lose.
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But if we fight in the river, we win.
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He knew China better than eBay.
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He knew how small businesses in China worked.
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He knew their language, their dreams, their fears.
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So Jack made a bold decision.
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He launched a new platform called Taobao in 2003.
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It was an online shopping website, just like eBay, but free.
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Yes, free.
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While eBay charged sellers to list products, Taobao allowed them to sell for free.
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Jack said, Let's win their hearts first.
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Money will come later.
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Jack brought together his team and said, We are not building a website.
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We are building the future of China.
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They worked nonstop.
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They stayed in the office.
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Some employees even slept under their desks.
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They ordered noodles and kept coding, testing, calling sellers, and fixing bugs.
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Jack would walk around the office late at night, talking to team members, giving them energy.
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He told them stories, made jokes, kept their spirits high.
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One night, when everyone was exhausted, he said, Remember, we are fighting for something bigger than us.
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One day you will tell your children that you were there when China's Internet was born. That gave them strength.
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That gave them fire.
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eBay noticed that Taobao was growing.
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So they started spending millions on advertising.
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They even tried to cut prices, match services, and buy other small competitors.
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But Jack had a secret weapon – understanding people.
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He knew Chinese sellers were not just looking for a platform.
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They were looking for support, community, and trust.
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So he added features like direct chat between buyer and seller, so they could talk freely.
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Colorful, fun designs, not the boring gray style of eBay.
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Tips and education for new sellers.
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Slowly, people started loving Taobao.
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They felt it was made for them.
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eBay felt like a foreign machine.
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Taobao felt like a local friend.
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The turning point.
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In 2005, something huge happened.
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Yahoo, another American internet giant, offered Jack Ma $1 billion to buy a 40 % share in Alibaba.
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Jack agreed.
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But he made sure of one thing.
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We control the company.
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No matter how much money they give, Alibaba will be run by us.
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With that money, Jack strengthened Taobao.
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He gave better services, hired more people, built bigger offices, and trained more sellers.
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eBay could not handle the pressure.
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They started losing ground.
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By 2006, eBay shut down their China operations.
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Jack had won.
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A small team in a small apartment had defeated a global giant.
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Did Jack celebrate wildly?
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No. He simply told his team, we didn't win because we are better.
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We won because we stayed close to the people.
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Let's never forget that.
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We are here to serve.
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That's what made him special.
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He never let success make him arrogant.
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He always stayed grounded, always stayed humble.
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After this big victory, Alibaba expanded quickly.
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AliExpress was launched to help small businesses sell to international customers.
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Alibaba Cloud was created to compete with Amazon Web Services.
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Alipay, their payment system, became China's largest online wallet.
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Jack didn't just build websites, he built an ecosystem, a whole online world.
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And he still did it with love, joy, and the same passion as day one.
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People all over the world wanted to hear him speak.
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universities like Harvard and Stanford invited him.
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World leaders wanted to meet him.
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Students saw him as their hero. And CEOs?
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They feared him or admired him.
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Sometimes both.
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But behind all this success, Jack was starting to feel something new.
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He was tired, not physically, not mentally.
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But he felt like his mission was bigger than business now.
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He started thinking about education, about young people, about the future of humanity.
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And that's when everything began to change.
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Between 2010 to 2014, Alibaba grew faster than ever.
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Aliexpress became one of the world's biggest platforms for global exports.
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Alipay, now Ant Financial, grew to become bigger than PayPal.
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Alibaba Cloud challenged Amazon Web Services in Asia.
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Taobao and Tmall ruled Chinese e -commerce.
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Jack always believed in serving the small guy.
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His vision was, let small businesses have the power of big companies.
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And he made it happen.
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By 2014, Alibaba was ready for a historic moment.
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The biggest IPO, initial public offering, in the history of the world.
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September 19, 2014.
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The world watched.
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Wall Street buzzed with excitement.
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Alibaba was about to go public on the New York Stock Exchange.
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People were calling it China's Amazon.
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Jack Ma walked into the NYSE wearing a simple suit, smiling calmly.
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But inside, he was nervous.
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He had never seen this kind of attention before.
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Cameras, reporters, billionaires, bankers, fans.
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When the IPO opened, Alibaba's value shot up to $231 billion.
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Jack Ma became the richest man in China overnight night.
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But when a reporter asked him, how do you feel about being the richest man?
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He simply said, this is not my money.
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I'm just holding it for the people.
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I want to use it wisely.
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That's Jack.
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Always humble.
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Always focused on impact, not luxury.
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After the IPO, Jack had everything.
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Fame, power, wealth, global respect.
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But his heart was moving in a different direction now.
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He wanted to change education.
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He wanted to help young people become dreamers, leaders, and kind humans.
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So he started the Jack Ma Foundation.
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He began visiting schools in poor areas.
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He donated money to education in rural China, Africa, India, and Southeast Asia.
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He Jack Ma said, If I have to choose between being a billionaire or being a teacher, I choose teaching.
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He even started giving speeches to teenagers saying things like, Don't chase money.
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Chase learning.
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Don't fear failure.
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Learn from it.
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Don't try to be the best.
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Be the most unique.
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People began to call him the teacher billionaire.
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September 10, 2019 Jack's 55th birthday and Teacher's Day in China.
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He announced that he would retire from Alibaba.
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Not because he was tired.
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Not because he was bored.
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But because he believed.
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A good leader knows when to leave.
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If I stay too long, I become a boss.
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I want to leave as a friend.
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He organized a farewell like no other.
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More than 60 ,000 employees gathered in a stadium in Hangzhou.
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There were lights, music, tears, and dancing.
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Jack came on stage wearing a rock star outfit, leather jacket, guitar in hand, singing Chinese pop songs.
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He laughed, he cried, he danced.
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In his final speech he said, I was never smart.
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I failed many times, but I never gave up.
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If I can do it, you can too.
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Believe in yourself, love your dream, and remember, the best is yet to come.
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The crowd stood and clapped for ten minutes.
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That night, China cried with joy.
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Jack had left as he promised, not as a king, but as a friend.
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The mysterious disappearance.
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He spoke at universities.
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He explored Africa.
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He launched programs for rural teachers.
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He focused on philanthropy.
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But in late 2020, something strange happened.
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Jack gave a speech in Shanghai.
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He criticized the Chinese financial system and said it needed reform.
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Soon after that, Jack Ma disappeared from public view.
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No interviews, no speeches, no tweets, no sightings.
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For three full months, the world didn't know where he was.
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Rumors started flying.
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Was he arrested?
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Was he in house arrest?
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Was he warned by the government?
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Nobody knew.
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Even international media like CNN and BBC asked, Where is Jack Ma?
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Then one day, he reappeared in a short video, calm and smiling.
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But something had changed.
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He looked tired.
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His voice was soft.
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He said he was focusing on teaching and philanthropy now.
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Many believe he was forced to stay quiet after speaking against the system.
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But Jack never confirmed or denied anything.
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He simply stepped back, and that became part of his legend.
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Jack Ma's Net Worth and Wealth Jack Ma's net worth has changed over time due to stock market changes,
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government pressure, and his own choice to step away from business.
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At his peak, his net worth was around 65 to 70 billion dollars, making him the richest man in China.
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Even after stepping back, he still holds billions in assets, investments, and shares in Alibaba and Ant Group.
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But you know what's surprising?
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He doesn't live like a billionaire.
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He still wears simple clothes, avoids luxury cars, and lives quietly.
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Because to Jack Ma, success isn't about money.
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It's about making a difference.
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Jack Ma is married to Zhang Ying, his college sweetheart.
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They met at Hangzhou Normal University.
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She once said in an interview, He's not a handsome man, but I fell in love with his thinking.
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I knew he would do something great.
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They have three children, and Jack tries to keep his family life very private.
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He loves reading, traveling, and spending time with young students and teachers.
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After retirement, he started teaching again.
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Not in big universities, but in small rural schools, where the need is real.
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Because that's the Jack Ma way.
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Go where you are most needed, not most celebrated.
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Jack Ma is known for giving some of the most powerful motivational speeches ever.
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His speeches are simple, emotional, full of humor, and unforgettable.
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Here are a few of his life -changing quotes.
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If you don't give up, you still have a chance.
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Giving up is the greatest failure.
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Help young people, help small guys, because small guys will be big.
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Young people will have the seeds you bury in their minds, and when they grow up, they will change the world.
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Today is hard, tomorrow is harder, but the day after tomorrow is beautiful.
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His speeches have changed lives, inspired millions of students and brought hope to those who had nothing but a dream.
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He doesn't just motivate you.
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He teaches you how to believe in yourself when the world doesn't.
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You might be watching this video from a small town.
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Maybe you failed in school.
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Maybe people laugh at your dreams.
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Maybe you're scared that you're not good enough, smart enough, rich enough.
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But Jack Ma's story proves one thing.
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You don't need to be born rich.
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You don't need to be a genius.
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You don't need perfect English or big connections.
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All you need is a heart that refuses to give up.
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When Jack Ma was rejected by KFC, by jobs, by investors, by Harvard, he didn't stop.
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He just smiled, stood up, and tried again.
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Your rejection is not the end.
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It's a redirection.
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Your struggle is your superpower.
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Your pain will become your purpose.
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So dream big, start small, move fast, and never ever stop believing in yourself.
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One day the world will know your name.
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If you want to change your life, if this story gave you goosebumps, If you felt inspired, emotional,
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or even a little more powerful inside… then imagine learning something like this every single day.
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This channel is not just for videos.
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It's a home for dreamers, doers, warriors, and learners like you.
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So, hit that subscribe button right now, join our family, and remember,
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every day you learn something new is a day you get closer to your dream.
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We are here to grow with you.
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One story, one lesson, one powerful idea at a time.
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This is not the end.
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This is your beginning.
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Subscribe now.
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Because tomorrow, we rise together.
Perché questo video è ottimo per migliorare l'inglese
Il video sulla storia di Jack Ma è un materiale eccellente per migliorare la pronuncia inglese e la comprensione auditiva. La narrazione è chiara, con un tono conversazionale e una velocità adatta a livelli intermedi, il che lo rende perfetto per esercizi di shadow speak. Inoltre, la storia è ispirante, il che mantiene l'attenzione e motiva a continuare a praticare.
Analizziamo frasi chiave
Ecco tre frasi naturali da studiare:
- "He said, 'I will try again tomorrow.'" La struttura semplice e l'uso di "will" per esprimere determinazione rendono questa frase facile da imitare. La pronuncia di "try again" con la connessione tra le parole è tipica dell'inglese parlato.
- "Most people want quick success, but Jack was planting seeds for the future." Il contrasto tra "quick success" e "planting seeds" è un esempio di metafora comune. La pronuncia di "planting seeds" con la "t" soft è un dettaglio da notare per una pronuncia naturale.
- "Culture is more important than strategy." La semplicità grammaticale e l'enfasi su "more important than" la rendono perfetta per esercitare l'intonazione. La parola "strategy" con la "g" silenziosa è un punto chiave per la pronuncia corretta.
Una routine di pratica: shadowing
Per usare questo video al meglio, prova questa routine di shadowing:
- Riproduci un frammento di 5-10 secondi del video.
- Pausa e ripeti immediatamente la frase, imitando l'intonazione, la velocità e la pronuncia. Usa il shadow speak per sincronizzare la tua voce con quella del narratore.
- Registra la tua ripetizione e confrontala con l'originale. Nota le differenze nella pronuncia di parole come "rejections" o "humiliation".
- Ripeti il processo per 10-15 minuti al giorno. Questo metodo aiuta a internalizzare le strutture linguistiche e a migliorare la fluidità.
Con questo approccio, non solo impari l'inglese con i video, ma anche sviluppi una pronuncia più naturale. Ricorda: la costanza è la chiave!
Cos'è la tecnica dello Shadowing?
Shadowing è una tecnica di apprendimento delle lingue supportata da studi scientifici, originariamente sviluppata per la formazione dei traduttori professionisti e resa popolare dal poliglotta Dr. Alexander Arguelles. Il metodo è semplice ma potente: ascolti un audio in inglese di madrelingua e lo ripeti immediatamente ad alta voce — come un'ombra che segue il parlante con un ritardo di solo 1–2 secondi. A differenza dell'ascolto passivo o degli esercizi di grammatica, lo shadowing costringe il tuo cervello e i muscoli della bocca a elaborare e riprodurre simultaneamente i modelli di discorso reale. La ricerca dimostra che migliora significativamente la precisione della pronuncia, l'intonazione, il ritmo, il discorso connesso, la comprensione dell'ascolto e la fluidità del parlato — rendendolo uno dei metodi più efficaci per la preparazione alla prova di speaking dell'IELTS e per la comunicazione reale in inglese.